UCA firstyear

The End

2012-01-20T00:26:00.000-08:00

The school year has officially ended; with the end of the year comes the end of this blog. Thank you for stopping by, I hope you have enjoyed this blog as much as I have.

If you are interested, I will be starting a new blog: TERRE.

It will focus more on my interests within and outside of architecture, including: mythology, science fiction, materials, history, writing and more. I hope to see you there.

- Photo by Chris Schroeer-Heiermann

Milton Glaser on using design to make ideas new

2011-09-17T02:46:00.001-07:00

Ai Wei Wei's Wicked City

2011-08-31T17:50:00.000-07:00

A very interesting article written by Ai Wei Wei about his two faced city Beijing.

Excerpt-

Beijing is two cities. One is of power and of money. People don’t care who their neighbors are; they don’t trust you. The other city is one of desperation. I see people on public buses, and I see their eyes, and I see they hold no hope. They can’t even imagine that they’ll be able to buy a house. They come from very poor villages where they’ve never seen electricity or toilet paper.

Beijing tells foreigners that they can understand the city, that we have the same sort of buildings: the Bird’s Nest, the CCTV tower. Officials who wear a suit and tie like you say we are the same and we can do business. But they deny us basic rights. You will see migrants’ schools closed. You will see hospitals where they give patients stitches—and when they find the patients don’t have any money, they pull the stitches out. It’s a city of violence.

Read on HERE

architectural discourse: Oase Journal

2011-08-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

Oase Journal in their words:
- OASE is an independent, international, peer-reviewed journal for architecture that brings together academic discourse and the sensibilities of design practice. OASE advocates critical reflection in which the architectural project occupies a central position, yet is understood to be embedded in a wider cultural field. Intersections and affinities with other disciplines are explored in order to gain a more profound understanding of the practice and theory of architecture and rearticulate its disciplinary limits. Published three times a year, each OASE provides a rigorous investigation of a specific theme, featuring architecture, urban design and landscape design and insisting on the discussion of the historical and theoretical aspects of contemporary issues. -

Two issues of import (for semester two):

OASE 45-46 Essential Architecture

includes
-Colin St John Wilson and Adam Caruso on Sigurd Lewerentz (Caruso St John) !!!

-Peter Zumthor translated by Dick van Gameren (van Gameren architects) !!!

-Max Bill (Wiki) !!!

-Rudolph Schwarz !!!!!

OASE 84 Models. The Idea, the Representation and the Visionary

includes
-Anne Holtrop (Anne Holtrop)

-Adam Caruso

-OMA

Oscar Niemeyer's advice to young architect's

2011-08-30T03:40:00.000-07:00

"The most important thing is to consider that architecture does not only have a functional aspect: it has to be beautiful, it has to be different, and it has to create a surprise to be a work of art."

Niemeyer adds: "Concrete allows everything!"

An unforgettable conversation

2011-08-30T03:15:00.000-07:00

Oscar Niemeyer and Norman Foster with Hans Ulrich Oberst.

Thank You Abitare!

This 'extraordinary encounter' is unlike an other and this conversation delves deep into architecture's core.

" Norman Foster I saw the little church, the chapel in Pampulha1, yesterday.
Oscar Niemeyer Pampulha is something so old; it does not represent what it once was… It has suffered many changes.
NF It was a very important building for me when I was 21 years old, before I started to study architecture…
ON It was my first work…
NF It was also the first influential project for me at the time and I discovered it almost by accident yesterday, I was driving past by car. I could not believe it, I saw it on the way from the airport. And then this morning I saw the Education building2 for the first time.
ON Pampulha was made in a hurry, and Brasília was also such a rush… I am very pleased with your visit because I appreciate your architecture.
NF I would like to say how much I appreciated the Education building2 this morning and how I was surprised by some of the things that I saw.
ON It is a work by Le Corbusier that we just developed… We changed many things: we put the building in the centre of the area, for example, but he did the initial croquis.
NF I saw that, but there are two things images cannot show. I thought it was a brilliant piece of city planning as well as architecturally brilliant: the shortcut underneath and the urban space I thought were stunning; it is only when you visit that you see it. But the other thing was that I have a feeling that the curves, the flowing curves did not come from Le Corbusier but from the translation of his diagram, and again that is something I think I discovered this morning.
ON We’ve changed many things…
NF Yes, yes, I see, but I thought it was more than a change: I felt it was a transformation not just a modification, if you understand the difference. I felt it was more profound. "

Click HERE to read on...

an interesting blog

2011-08-23T04:46:00.001-07:00

http://thestudio325.blogspot.com

Edwards Moore on Pitching Work

2011-08-23T02:38:00.000-07:00

Edwards Moore

Ben Edwards and Juliet Moore

EXTRACT
Chris
But you guys would have to do the same thing like have a document pitching what you want to do?

Juliet
Explaining the process.

Ben
And there's a real art to that because you don't necessarily want to show all your work right at the start. So the way we do it is you talk softly softly. This is very logical because it gradually takes them through it and then at the end of it...

Juliet
Tah dah! Usually there's a model or something that represents everything you've talked about. So the idea is by the time you get to that it makes so much sense because everything they've been shown leads to that point and it's like, "Of course, Hallelujah!"

Ben
It's quite nice, sometimes we'll have a model actually around the corner so there'll be nothing on the table and, "Hang on I'll just go around here...", and then you come out and "Tah dah!"

Juliet
People are easily distracted too. If they walked in and there was a model on the table they'd be like, "I dont know, is the window big enough...?" You want them to think about the bigger picture.

Ben
And you can see how they're reacting when you're talking so you know whether to pull back from going too far down a certain path with something and talking about the other stuff they want to hear. Maybe they're interested in the sustainability or something like that. We'll also use references and precedents like Google Images and all that sort of stuff - images that try to create an atmosphere in a document spatially and communicating that. They're not necessarily our projects or materials. We've been really lucky in that it seems to work really well, we've had a couple of ones where they literally turned over the first page and gone, "No, no, no...".

Interview Continues [click here]

Ikimono Architects - A Selection

2011-08-22T04:55:00.000-07:00

Ghost Like Architecture : Shingo Masuda+Katsuhisa Otsubo

2011-08-22T04:47:00.000-07:00

http://salad-net.jp/

The site is a threshold of house, street, garden, and neighbor.

We judged that it would be effective to design a boundary that could constantly renew and rewrite the interpretation in our consciousness each time they involve the site, of a garden being a house, a house being a neighbor, a garden being a street and so on - without restricting sites.

We tried to create an inconsistence between physical and visual experience of "boundary" to individuals, according to the state, by constructing an ambivalent "ghost-like architecture" that emerge and dissolve simultaneously. The boundary, which creates the interpretation of the scene or the crossing of awareness, becomes the new borderline that circulates inside the consciousness, which will not belong to any or all domains.

Weekend Retreat in Agatsuma-gun by Go Hasegawa

2011-08-15T03:30:00.000-07:00

33-year old Go Hasegawa is known for investigating the character of spaces that are partly inside and partly outside, accentuating the relationship between a building and its immediate surroundings.

When an elderly couple residing in Tokyo asked him to design a weekend retreat in the dense forest of Agatsuma-gun, Hasegawa mimicked the surrounding tall, slender trees.

The main living space floats 6.5 meters (roughly 21 feet) in midair and is supported by thin stilts, creating an outdoor patio beneath it.

The design fulfills two requests: It provides the couple with a concrete deck on the ground floor that is spacious enough for the entire family to gather for a barbecue, as well as a rooftop platform high enough in the surrounding tree canopy to see Mount Asama during wintertime.

Alejandro Aravena: The Forces in Architecture

2011-08-15T03:07:00.000-07:00

VIDEO: Cyclone Display

2011-08-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

Yoichi Ochiai Design Works

VIDEO: The forces in architecture

2011-08-13T03:29:00.000-07:00

Video streaming by Ustream

By Alejandro Aravena

The AJ asks prominent architectural thinkers to comment on the architecture of our cities and why Britain is burning

2011-08-10T23:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks AJ!

Joseph Rykwert
Cities incite riots - and herding people in high rise reservoirs of social aggression doesn’t help: if we didn’t have football and rugby matches to release it, however messily, we’d have many more, though riots are almost always triggered by specific incidents. Current hoody anomie was fostered by the spectacle of the fat-cats bloated bonuses accompanying the ‘we’re all in it’ talk about cuts - as well as by the knowledge that the police was among the public services to be mutilated (which also goes for parks, youth centres), so was inevitably demoralised. And the spark was a mishandled police shooting. Locking up cowed hoodies in overcrowded prisons won’t solve anything. We need to think about public housing and public space - quickly

Richard Sennett
The riots were all too predictable: a generation of poor, young people with no future becomes a tinderbox for violence. The British riots have one resemblance to those which afflicted France in the last decade; they occur in the places where no-hopers live, rather than political riots directed at the centres of power; the result is that the principle victims are their local neighbours

Jeremy Till
At least the architects are not blamed this time, as we were with Broadwater. Nor could we be, because (quoting Simmel) the city is not a spatial entity with sociological consequences, but a sociological entity that is formed spatially. Here the riots spatialise years of ramping up of social inequality. So when my Twitter feed calls for the reintroduction of Jane Jacobs, I blanch (because space is not the solution, just the symptom) and when the Tories say it is ‘pure’ criminality, I rage (because of the implicit disavowal of their political responsibility). One way out? Act on the New Economic Foundation’s Great Transition

Alain de Botton
People tend to distinguish between violence against people (very serious) and violence against property (not so bad). But in these riots, what emerges is how offensive it is to see buildings on fire because this symbolises a destruction of the hopes and efforts of so many who struggled to build and maintain them. It isn’t just money that goes up in flames; it’s the spirit of civilisation

Robert Tavernor
The London riots are a sobering reminder that cities are for people, that people make cities. Cities rely on a precarious social balance that can be wrecked by the irresponsible. Leadership and good action are now essential

Wouter Vanstiphout
The reality of urban riots is that they have always turned out to be the opposite of a learning experience for a city. Riots have nearly always resulted in politicians simplifying the problem even more, and looking away even further. After a riot your average city will become more afraid, more authoritarian, more segregated, more exclusive and less tolerant. That is the real tragedy of the post-war western urban riot, first it shocks and terrifies us, then for a moment it makes us see flashes of the kind of city we should be working towards, which then fades away into the darkness.

Law Street House by Muir Mendes

2011-08-09T21:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks Dezeen!

VIDEO[S]: Japanese Architecture Film's

2011-08-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

Japanese Architecture FILMs

Some are interviews and they are in Japanese.

Semester 2

2011-07-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

Peter Zumthor's Home

2011-07-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks Archi Square

The building is located next to the previous study by Peter Zumthor, completed in 1986 and still active: a simple construction effectively camouflaged the village houses, wooden slats for the coating.
In contrast, the new home-studio is clearly detached from the environment precisely because of the materials: concrete in sight for the walls and corrugated sheet for roofing gable of the body on two levels, where you will find the house. Alteration and introversion that marks the southern wall of the blind study, in reality denounce such strong links with the surrounding area, made up of isolated houses, alternating with small gardens open.

The building is organized around a patio by the elongated geometry that opens to the west, instead of entering the study. From this position is clearly visible the large window which gives light to the living room, as other-paginated-off with a steel frame that is detached from the plane of the wall. On the north side, towards the mountains and the river, large windows look out at a shallow inlet environment, the bedroom suite and study on the first floor, kitchen and raised above the street level.
On the patio overlooking studying, meeting room, private studio environment where even-distribution-and living room. The sequence follows the logic of these environments, gradual but strict, the transition from the true study-area public employees-most positions in the private and intimate rooms on the first floor.

Environments create a spatial continuity articulated by closed blocks, where there are service functions: archive, library, pantry and services.

The connections are secured with the upper floor with two staircases, and emphasized at all narrow-enough-indeed, one of which connects directly to the kitchen and bedrooms. The use of geometric shapes and simple colors / neutral, contrasting with the bustle of the exuberant vegetation of the patio is once again a stylistic architectural pattern where the tactile qualities of materials are highlighted in an extraordinary way: the sensuality of the subject.

The continuity between the spaces related to work, study, giving clues to the daily functions key to understanding the will zumthoriana to keep everything in a strategic dimension that allows you to personally control all phases of design and construction of the building and undertake an ongoing relationship, direct, daily between the collaborators.

Architect: Peter Zumthor
Location: Graubunden-Chur-Haldenstein
Client: Peter Zumthor
Data size: 1,050 square meters. Area, 576 square meters. Superf.totale net
History: 2002 (draft), 2003/04 (construction)
Facilities: Conzett Bronzini, Gartmann AG

VIDEO: Shigeru Ban

2011-07-19T17:21:00.001-07:00

ETH Zuerich, Yearbooks.

2011-06-27T03:14:00.000-07:00

This past years journal on the work of ETH Zuerich:

Yearbook 2010

Yearbook 2009

Yearbook 2008

THE FUTURE OF UC??!!! Competition Entry by Silvester Fuller.

2011-06-24T22:54:00.000-07:00

Silvester Fuller

Our competition entry for the University of Canberra Heartland Competition was developed in collaboration with Matthew Gribben Architecture and ARUP.

The proposal aims to capitalise on the unique qualities presented by the University of Canberra, it’s location, both politically and environmentally. There exists an opportunity to consolidate the existing heartland campus and profit from the outlying campus. In concert, this twin strategy develops a specific identity to differentiate the university from other Australian Universities.

The campus heart is enlivened by the installation of a new concourse infrastructure – a new focal point, a beating heart. The outlying campus is reserved for advanced research into green technologies, positioning the university with industry and government in sustainable leadership. In this scheme no existing buildings require demolition, significant trees are to be retained as is the primary campus infrastructure. The existing concourse buildings become the back drop for the theatre of the concourse.

Parallel to the vibrant restructured concourse a new ring circulation system is proposed. In addition to providing a legible entry sequence and address for future buildings, the ring is a containing device that promotes consolidation of the campus heart by limiting sprawl. It incorporates services infrastructure to support a carbon neutral campus. The potential for integration between research and development, academia and public administration places the University as a true leader and pioneer for the sustainable growth of Australia.

VIDEO: Craftsmanship.

2011-06-24T21:44:00.000-07:00

PROFESSIONal from VITA BREVIS FILMS on Vimeo.

PROFESSIONal by Vita Brevis Films -

In this short-form profile, VitaBrevisFilms interviews Neil Youngberg for the beginning exploration of our "Professional" series. Shot on location in Neil's metal fabrication shop, the 3rd generation craftsman gives a sincere overview of his life's work, dispensing hard-worn wisdom while illuminating the sobering realities of the role private business plays in an ever changing economic landscape. A deeply personal project for all involved, this on-going series seeks to shed-light on forgotten trades and practices in an evolving America.

VIDEO: Dieter Rams

2011-06-24T21:40:00.001-07:00

DAILY DOSE: Anne Holtrop.

2011-06-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

Anne Holtrop

Weekly Links #1

2011-06-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

1
The Psychology of Architecture - The comments are very interesting as well, especially Gregory Lent's.

2
Venice in Retrospect - A look at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2010.

3
Parametricism and the Autopoiesis of Architecture - Lecture by Patrik Schumacher at SCI-Arc, California 2010.

4
The Ascension of Peter Zumthor - NYTimes article on Peter Zumthor, March 2011.

VIDEO: FORA tv Frank Gehry

2011-06-13T19:10:00.001-07:00

On cost of building, client - architect relationship, a message to young architects and questions.

BOOK REVIEW: Constructing Architecture by Andrea Deplazes

2011-06-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

Andrea Deplazes of ETH Zurich created this book to teach how an architect can construct a building. The German translation of the title is Baukunst, this means the art of construction.

All I can say is: BRILLIANT

***** [this book received 5/5 stars]

Buy it on AMAZON

Ignacio Azpiazu said

"Andrea Deplazes, the editor and author or co-author of many of the articles, teaches at the Zurich ETH (and I would guess the same must be true for the authors of most of the other articles), which for well over a hundred years has been one of the few true schools of architecture in the world. The book glows with the power of this accumulated knowledge developed in a true academic environment since the times of Semper. It also gives a glimpse at how the ETH consistently produces first class ordinary architecture, and for that matter first class extraordinary architecture too."

VIDEO: Joshua Prince-Ramus of REX

2011-06-13T16:17:00.000-07:00

Joshua Prince-Ramus talks about how architects can take back control and create ingenious solutions.

Daily Post #1 ~ Ikimono architects: Airy house

2011-06-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

More at Designboom! Thanks!

japanese practice ikimono architects has created 'airy house', a multi-purpose building located in gunma, japan. part-cafe, part-residence, the structure features a distinct architectural language that looks to seemingly merge the internal volume with the exterior environment.

two modest and industrial forms compose the overall structure, their rectilinear bodies placed perpendicular to eachother. treated independently of one another, the units each contain a specific, contrasting program - one private, one public - and unique arrangement of space and materiality.

The NEW format of this BLOG.

2011-06-11T23:07:00.000-07:00

To make this blog more accessible there will be:

-A DAILY (or every second [or third, fourth, fifth] day) post (thanks to the inspiration of A Daily Dose of Architecture):

           This is so the blog will not overload you with information!!

-A WEEKLY post of LINKS:

           Consisting of news, theory, art and architecture articles.

- THE NEW FAVOURITE POST:

           An architect/firm whose work I really admire.

- A BOOK review:

           A book I am reading or have read. Or something I have found that is a MUST read!

- And if I feel something is missing to this list, I will add later!

Charles

New Favourites: AMUNT. architekten martenson und nagel·theissen

2011-06-11T21:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some excellent architects who bring together sustainable buildings and techniques with wonderful design.

AMUNT

Fried Cafe

JustK House, zero energy house

Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma

2011-05-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

Kengo Kuma - Lucien Pellat-Finet Shinsaibashi

Chuou-ku, Osaka, Japan

Check out his other work - http://kkaa.co.jp/c/works/

REM KOOLHAAS on OMA's Work

2011-05-13T17:06:00.001-07:00

Rem Koolhaas starts 10 minutes into the video.

Habitable Sculpture - Miguel Arruda

2011-05-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks archdaily!

With «Habitable Sculpture» architect Miguel Arruda transports a formal memory of one of his early sculptures from the 60s to the present day and gives it the scale and spatial experience of architecture.
The «Modulo» exposed in Gallery Diario de Noticias, in 1968 is now subject to an extension 56 times its original size. This new volume gives a certain level of habitability, which allows him to interpret the concept of Habitable Sculpture. Both fisical object aprotche and tactile values of its first volumes, are today exercised on the exterior and interior.

Inujima Arthouse Project - Kazuyo Sejima !!!!!!

2011-05-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

Iwan Baan : each picture represents a link to a set of pictures

An Old Interview of SANAA Partners Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa

Framed.. A Platform for New Art Forms

2011-05-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks Dezain!! (link to framed website)

Um hello Rem..!

2011-05-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

Interview with REM KOOLHAAS

2011-05-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

THINK BIG

2011-05-10T04:11:00.001-07:00

Interview with Joshua Prince-Ramus - REX architects

2011-05-10T03:57:00.000-07:00

Interview with Joshua Prince-Ramus of REX architects

REX architects

Thanks Designboom

" joshua prince-ramus was born in 1969.
he received a bachelor of arts in philosophy with distinction
from yale university in 1991 and a master of architecture from
harvard university in 1996. joshua prince-ramus is president
of REX and principal in charge of all projects. he was the
founding partner of OMA new york. while REX was still known
as OMA new york, prince-ramus was partner in charge of the
seattle central library and the guggenheim-hermitage museum
in las vegas. in addition to the recently completed at&t performing
arts center’s dee and charles wyly theatre in dallas, texas,
other cultural projects by REX include museum plaza,
a 62-story mixed-use skyscraper housing a contemporary
art center in louisville, kentucky, and the new central library
and music conservatory for the city of kortrijk, belgium.
current projects also include the istanbul headquarters for
vakko and power media, turkey’s preeminent
fashion and media companies; the university of louisville’s
college of business campus in kentucky; and a line of public
furniture for belgian furniture company quinze & milan.
REX recently placed second in both the international competition
for the new edvard munch museum in oslo, norway,
and the finnish innovation fund’s low2no sustainable development
competition in helsinki, finland. he is currently a visiting professor
at columbia university’s graduate school of architecture,
planning, and preservation, and has previously been a visiting
professor at both harvard and yale.

---
we met joshua prince-ramus in new york on may 13, 2009.
---

what is the best moment of the day?
when I come home and my daughter yells 'daddy' and
runs to me.

what kind of music do you listen to at the moment?
sufjan stevens.

do you listen to the radio?
no.

what books do you have on your bedside table?
the master and margarita (by mikhail bulgakov) and
seven pillars of wisdom (by t. e. lawrence).

do you read design / architecture magazines?
no.

not even flip through them?
I flip through them (admits).

where do you get your news from?
my blackberry, in the morning, on my way to work.
I have a web news service.
I key in issues important to me and articles from the
new york times, the wall street journal, etc. get dumped
onto my blackberry.

I assume you notice how women dress.
do you have any preferences?
simple and elegant, but also sexy. I have a huge
partiality to prada and to miuccia (prada).

what kind of clothes do you avoid wearing?
I like very simple colors - light blue, white, grey and black.
I'm really uncomfortable with anything that has detail.
all I have are pure cuts.
I would never have a shirt that had funny buttons,
or a funny pocket.

do you have any pets?
not at the moment, but I had a cat.

when you were a child, did you want to
become an architect?
yes. since a very very very young age. since 5.
my grandfather was a very successful engineer and had
worked with a lot of very good architects and exposed
me to the field."

read on HERE

Triadisches Ballett - Bauhaus

2011-05-10T01:43:00.000-07:00

Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron at Harvard's GSD

2011-05-07T21:53:00.000-07:00

Live blog: Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron at Harvard's GSD

Herzog & de Meuron film on the Birds Nest

Library for Herzog & de Meuron at Designboom

Terunobu Fujimori Again

2011-05-07T03:52:00.000-07:00

Taipei News Article on Terunobu Fujimoru

Fujimori Flickr Set

Another great article

Tanpopo House (his own house)

Terunobu Fujimori

2011-05-07T02:21:00.000-07:00

From Here Thankyou : Ouno Design

Photographs from Here : Edmund Sumner

Nemunoki Art Museum

Yakisugi House - Above Five Pictures

Takasugi An - Above two pictures

Terunobu Fujimori, a leading historian of modern Japanese architecture, began to design his own architecture in 1990. Since then, he has created a number of original buildings unbound by previous forms or styles, offering continual surprises to the world of architecture. The exhibition, “Architecture of Terunobu Fujimori and ROJO: Unknown Japanese Architecture and Cities,” was presented last year as part of the “Venice Biennale: 10th International Architecture Exhibition 2006.” It was acclaimed for offering a glimpse of an unknown aspect of contemporary Japanese architecture, which enjoys a high international reputation.

Research in the field of architectural history is Fujimori’s principal occupation, but he currently creates architectural works, too.The main theme of his research into the history of architecture and city planning has been modern architecture, and particularly western-style buildings in Japan from the Meiji period onwards. His “Meiji no Tokyo Keikaku (Meiji Plans for Tokyo)” (pub. 1982, Iwanami Shoten), won him the Mainichi Publication Culture Award.As part of his research, in 1974 he joined with friends and colleagues to form the Tokyo Architectural Detective Agency. Carrying maps and cameras, the detectives walked around Tokyo, from the commercial arcades of the lower-class ‘shitamachi’ areas to the residential sections of the high-class ‘yamanote’ areas, seeking out western-style buildings that had long been forgotten and covered up. This endeavor resulted in the publication of “Kenchiku Tantei no Boken: Tokyo Hen (Adventures of an Architectural Detective: Tokyo)” (1986, Chikuma Shobo), which won Fujimori the Suntory Prize for Social Science and Humanities. Since then, he has continued his architectural detective work, publishing the results in all sorts of different media formats in ways that make them accessible to the general public.

During his urban walks to discover forgotten architecture, Fujimori came to know Genpei Akasegawa, Shinbo Minami, Joji Hayashi, Tetsuo Matsuda and others who were ‘collecting’ intriguing properties around the town from a similar perspective. This encounter led to the establishment of the ROJO Society in 1986.After devoting himself to his architectural history research and writings for so long, Fujimori made a debut as an architect in 1991 at the age of 44 when he created the Jinchokan Moriya Historical Museum under commission from his hometown, Chino City in Nagano.Fujimori’s architecture took a completely untried approach, enveloping a reinforced concrete structure with local stones, earth, and hand-cut planking. The result caught the public’s imagination, but the architectural community was more dubious until Kengo Kuma praised it for generating fond feelings of familiarity in people who had never seen it before. As more and more people began to appreciate his work, Fujimori went on to create the Akino Fuku Art Museum (1997), Student Dormitory for Kumamoto Agricultural College (2000), Grass House (Dandelion House) (1995) with dandelions planted on the walls and roof, Nira House (Leek House) (1997), which was planted with leeks, Ichiya-tei tea house for Morihiro Hosokawa (2003), and the Takasugi-an tea house (2004), set 6 meters above the ground like a treehouse. Nira House (Leek House) won him the Japan Art Grand Prix, and he was awarded the Architectural Institute of Japan Prize for Design for the Student Dormitory for Kumamoto Agricultural College.
Born in Nagano in 1946, Terunobu Fujimori studied at Tohoku University before graduate school at the University of Tokyo. He is currently a professor at the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Industrial Science.

Giant Ant Hill Excavated.

2011-05-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

Ruta Peregrino - The Structures

2011-05-06T17:39:00.000-07:00

Ruta Peregrino - Photographed by Iwan Baan

La Ruta del Peregrino (Pilgrim's Route) stretches out on a distance of 117 kilometers. Approximately two million people participate each year in this religious phenomenon coming from different states of Mexico to walk through the mountain range of Jalisco, starting in the town of Ameca, ascending to el Cerro del Obispo at an altitude of 2000 meters above sea level, crossing the peak of Espinazo del Diablo to descend to it's final destination in the town of Talpa de Allende to meet with the Virgin of Talpa as an act of devotion, faith and gratitude.

The Green School by IBUKU [PT Bambu]

2011-05-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

IBUKU

“Environmentalists and designers John and Cynthia Hardy wanted to motivate communities to live sustainably. Part of that effort was to show people how to build with sustainable materials, namely bamboo. They established the Green School, and its affiliates: the Meranggi Foundation, which develops plantations of bamboo plants through presenting bamboo seedlings to local rice farmers; and "PT Bambu, a for-profit design and construction company that promotes the use of bamboo as a primary building material, in an effort to avoid the further depletion of rainforests. The Green School, a giant laboratory built by IBUKU, is located on a sustainable campus straddling both sides of the Ayung River in Sibang Kaja, Bali, within a lush jungle with native plants and trees growing alongside sustainable organic gardens. The campus is powered by a number of alternative energy sources, including a bamboo sawdust hot water and cooking system, a hydro-powered vortex generator and solar panels. Campus buildings include classrooms, gym, assembly spaces, faculty housing, offices, cafes and bathrooms. A range of architecturally significant spaces from large multi-storey communal gathering places to much smaller classrooms are a feature of the campus. Local bamboo, grown using sustainable methods, is used in innovative and experimental ways that demonstrate its architectural possibilities. The result is a holistic green community with a strong educational mandate that seeks to inspire students to be more curious, more engaged and more passionate about the environment and the planet." Aga Khan via Architecture Lab

Juhani Pallasmaa - 0300tv

2011-05-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

0300tv

Trailer / Juhani Pallasmaa Interview from 0300TV on Vimeo.

Biomimicry in Architecture - Michael Pawlyn

2011-05-05T19:47:00.001-07:00

Michael Pawlyn - Exploration Architecture

O House by Hideyuki Nakayama Architecture

2011-05-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

Hideyuki Nakayama

O house / Hideyuki Nakayama Architecture from aether on Vimeo.

FT speaks to Rem Koolhaas (OMA)

2011-05-05T19:19:00.000-07:00

"Of all the places I might have expected to have lunch with architect Rem Koolhaas, Venice ranks low on the list. I could have imagined London, where he used to live and study; perhaps Rotterdam, where he now lives and works; maybe Hong Kong, where he spends a week a month, or Moscow, where he has helped establish a new architecture school. Almost any metropolis, in fact, that struggles with the problems and contradictions of modernity, of the endless, formless space of contemporary consumption, the themes that Koolhaas incessantly explores in his architecture. But not picturesque, decaying Venice. And definitely not outside a tiny trattoria on the Via Garibaldi, the city’s last remaining artery reserved for locals."

Read on Here

Jewish Community Center by Manuel Herz Architects

2011-05-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks Architecture Lab!

Manuel Herz Architects

In its history Judaism has never developed a strong tradition of building. Nor has it developed architectural styles that, as is the case in other religions, try to translate certain values and credos into built space. Instead, writing and scripture could be seen as a replacement or substitute for spatial production in Judaism. Specifically the Talmud, written after the destruction of the second Temple and the beginning of Diaspora, can be viewed as a response to the loss of Jerusalem as Judaism’s central place, and as an alternative spatial model. The dimension of the architectural traverses throughout the whole Talmud, from the content of individual chapters, via its method of redaction, to the techniques of arguing and debating of the Rabbis in its pages.

Roger Darricarrere

2011-05-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

Roger Darricarrere

Roger Darricarrere pioneered dalle de verre glass techniques and brought them to America from France after WWII. Darricarrere graduated from the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and served as a spy in the French Underground during World War II. In addition to glass work, Darricarrere also created painting, sculpture, and metal castings. He passed away in 1984.

Good Design. Dieter Rams.

2011-05-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

Is innovative - Rams states that possibilities for innovation in design are unlikely to be exhausted since technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. He also highlights that innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology and can never be an end in and of itself.

Makes a product useful - A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasises the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.

Is aesthetic - Only well-executed objects can be beautiful. The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products used every day have an effect on people and their well-being.
Makes a product understandable - It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product clearly express its function by making use of the user's intuition. At best, it is self-explanatory.

Is unobtrusive - Products and their design should be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression. Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools and are neither decorative objects nor works of art.

Is honest - Honest design should not attempt to make a product seem more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It should not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.

Is long-lasting - It should avoid being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even when the trend may be in favor for disposable products.
Is thorough down to the last detail - Dieter Rams states that nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance in the design of a product since care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.

Is environmentally friendly - Good design should make an important contribution to the preservation of the environment by conserving resources and minimizing physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

Is as little design as possible - Dieter Rams makes the distinction between the common "Less is more" and his strongly advised "Less, but better" highlighting the fact that this approach focuses on the essential aspects thus, the products are not burdened with non-essentials. The desirable result would then be purer and simpler.

2011-05-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

Weniger, aber besser
Less, but better

- Dieter Rams

A Set of Wise Word's on flickr. [Do Read]

2011-05-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

Set of Wise Word's

The Archigram Archival Project!

2011-05-03T23:26:00.000-07:00

Archigram Archives.
From the University of Westminster

Archigram was an avant-garde architectural group formed in the 1960s - based at the Architectural Association, London - that was futurist, anti-heroic and pro-consumerist, drawing inspiration from technology in order to create a new reality that was solely expressed through hypothetical projects. The main members of the group were Peter Cook, Warren Chalk, Ron Herron, Dennis Crompton, Michael Webb and David Greene. Designer Theo Crosby was the "hidden hand" behind the group.

- Wikipedia

Viktor & Rolf

2011-05-03T23:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks Space Did!

SZI Design

Viktor & Rolf

Following the direction to develop an “UPSIDE DOWN” concept, in collaboration with architect Buro Tettero, SZI Design created an award winning innovatice design for the flagship retail shot for viktor Rolf in Milan, Italy.The boutique has the welcome mat on the ceiling, chandeliers bloom from the floor, oak parquet on the ceiling and chandeliers sprouting out of the floor. The upside-down neoclassical décor includes upended columns, archways and even the front door. - More at Space Did.

Composting Shed by Groves Raines Architects

2011-05-03T23:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks Space did!

Groves Raines Architects

Groves Raines Architects designed the structure which serves as a composting area and garden store which is made entirely from industrial concrete reinforcing bar. The structure is conceived as an extension to the garden at Inverleith Terrace, Edinburgh the organic form embraces a 5 tonne boulder and provides a point of interest to both garden visitors and walkers.
Composting Shed is constructed using a technique similar to traditional willow weaving. This weaving technique allow air and sunlight pass naturally through the structure providing ventilation for composting while creating unique light patterns which change constantly throughout the day.
- More at Space did.

Another Amazing Architect, Fernando Menis

2011-05-03T03:55:00.000-07:00

When I think of a new building, I consider its plasticity; I do not see it as a row of objects but as a unified work which begins from its form - a work which conforms. Projects are conceived through their volumes; extracted and moulded, shaped. - Fernando Menis Architects

BOOKS:

Reason + Emotion by Fernando Menis

Topography and Materiality by Fernando Menis

Buildings (I don't know the last building sorry):

South Tenerife Convention Center

Insular Athletics Stadium

Mind Bokeh - Bibio

2011-05-03T03:34:00.000-07:00

Parole! Architecture, Urbanism, etc. DATABASE!!!

2011-05-03T03:31:00.000-07:00

Parole!

A Timeline of Parole!

Whoa!!!! This is a great place for architectural research!!!!!!!!!!!! WOWSERRRSSS

sooo. Junya Ishigami!!!

2011-05-02T04:21:00.001-07:00

Cedric Price!!! Interactive Exhibit at the Biennale 2010

2011-05-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

I love his sketches!!!

Architecture as cooking: [CHECK IT]

BLDGBLOG - One of the best blogs ever!

2011-05-01T17:41:00.000-07:00

BLDGBLOG

This is one of the very best blogs out there!

He looks at architecture from a conceptual point of view, a new post looks at Spacesuits with an interview on Parametric Design in the Urban Environment.

Everything he writes is very interesting and he does monthly posts on his favourite/interesting things that have happened online/in-the-world.

These are called Quick Links here is the latest: Quick Links 15

If you have time check out past Quick Links. They're fascinating!

Oh and don't forget to read the blog!

The Quadror

2011-05-01T00:04:00.000-07:00

Dror's Quadror Thanks Designboom! For more click the link!

we're reporting directly from this year's design indaba in cape town, south africa, where designboom participates as media partner - on now until the 25th of february, 2011. at the opening of the conference, studio dror has debuted 'quadror' - a new structural truss system, that the studio has been developing for the past four years. the story of QuaDror started in 2006. when experimenting with the geometric configuration, dror benshetrit was initially interested only in its aesthetic and flexibilitybut soon recognized the structural integrity of the assembly. the simple geometry and interlocking members - four identical L-shaped pieces,either thin, resulting in a trestle structure or thick, resulting in a solid panel - allowed for a very flexible and versatile design.

QuaDror from Dror on Vimeo.

Los Tres Juanes - Master Spanish craftsman showcase their geometrically intricate woodworking styles

2011-04-30T23:39:00.000-07:00

Los 3 Juanes - Mudejar Art from Maite Felices on Vimeo.

Using a combination of modern machinery and historical woodworking techniques, Los Tres Juanes create beautifully-intricate roof frameworks in styles unique to the south of Spain. These exceptionally skilled craftsman create Alfarjes (polygon-shaped painted ceilings) and Mudejar-style coffered ceilings made entirely of finely-intertwined wood. Check out their short video above, detailing their workshop and the process of creating their geometric works of art. - Coolhunting, Thanks!

Coolhunting!

Negozio Olivetti by Carlo Scarpa [RESTORED] WOW!

2011-04-30T23:20:00.000-07:00

Negozio Olivetti Thanks Coolhunting!

Widely recognized for their Ettore Sottsass-designed Valentine typewriter, one of Olivetti's less celebrated design accomplishments is the company's Venice showroom and store. Architect Carlo Scarpa spent two years conceiving the space with a focus on transparencies and materials after commissioned by Adriano Olivetti in the late '50s, leading to what became one of the most significant architectural achievements of the 20th century.

Aires Mateus - VOIDS at Venezia Architettura Biennale 2010

2011-04-30T03:40:00.000-07:00

One of the better exhibits at last years Biennale

Venezia Architettura Biennale:

As well as addressing the academic side of architecture, the Biennale is an occasion where big-name architects and designers can showcase new projects, arranged in different pavilions, each with different themes. Wikipedia

VOIDS -

A New Favourite, Patkau Architects.

2011-04-30T02:59:00.000-07:00

Patkau Architects

Fallingwater Cottages

Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Church

Seabird Island School

POSTERS!

2011-04-28T03:37:00.000-07:00

YOU WILL BE SEEING THESE AROUND CAMPUS

Fifth Avenue Apartments by Thomas Phifer and Partners

2011-04-28T01:20:00.000-07:00

Thomas Phifer

Thanks Dezain!

Hundertwasser's Architectural Manifesto and Theories

2011-04-28T01:16:00.000-07:00

More at Hacedor de Trampas, Thanks!

Hundertwasser's original features are the expression of shock in pictorial art, environmentalism Environmental Philosophy,the design of facades, postage stamps, flags and clothing(among other areas). Common themes of his work are a rejection of the straight lines, bright colors, organic forms, a reconciliation of humans with nature, and a strong individualism.

His inspiration was the spirals, and came to denote the straight line as the "tool of the devil." He called his theory of art "transautomatismo", basing his theory on the Surrealist automatic.

Fleet Street Hill by Peter Barber Architects

2011-04-28T01:11:00.000-07:00

Peter Barber Architects have produced these drawings as part of a planning application for 25 terraced family houses in London’s East End. The layout of the proposed houses on Fleet Street Hill across 3-4 storeys allows each to have its own ground floor courtyard, as well as accessible roof terraces.

Thanks Dezeen!

Paolo Portoghesi

2011-04-26T18:06:00.000-07:00

Il Salvatino Restoration

Exhibit of Portoghesi's work

That exhibit, The Presence of the Past, was at the 1980 Venice Biennale and featured a stunning display in the newly renovated “Corderie” of the Venetian Arsenale. That display, Strada Novissima, was a temporary plywood and plaster street, fabricated in Rome’s Cinecitta film studio and featuring facades and back room exhibits by architects including Frank O. Gehry, Rem Koolhaas, Arata Isozaki, Robert Venturi, and an grand entrance by Aldo Rossi.

toyo ito - taichung metropolitan opera

2011-04-26T03:37:00.000-07:00

construction begins of the taichung metropolitan opera house, designed by toyo ito.
the ground-breaking ceremony for the second-stage main construction of the taichung
metropolitan opera house was held on dec. 3, 2009.
the theater is expected to cost NT.36 billion (US5 million) and will take over four
years to complete. the opera house is now on track for a december 2013 ribbon-cutting.
according to taichung city officials, the project was put up for bid five times over the past
several years but failed to attract suitable tenders due to associated engineering challenges.
while other major cities in taiwan are all known for something, taichung, a city of roughly
1 million residents whose name means 'central taiwan' in chinese, has trouble finding
anything to distinguish itself from taiwan's other metropolises. today it is seen as one of
the most cultural cities in taiwan.

Thanks Designboom

Tofu House - Jun Tamaki

2011-04-26T03:03:00.000-07:00

Tofu house was designed by Jun Tamaki of TAMAKI Architectural Atelier that located in Ukyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan. This is modern Japanese house design. To anyone’s eye, the name describes the appearance of this house. “Tofu” was designed by a Kyoto-based architect Jun Tamaki in 1997 for a couple as their future retirement home. This simple but distinctive design has stood the test of time.

Sharing Ideas to Learn and Grow. an idea worth considering?

2011-04-26T02:34:00.000-07:00

Plikums Sarunas / 010 – Eike König from Plikums on Vimeo.

The Love House - Takeshi Hosaka

2011-04-26T02:32:00.000-07:00

I love the entrance, the steps sloping away from the wall and garden,

"love house' by takeshi hosaka was designed for a couple. on a very small site
of 33 square meters, the designer planned a building of frontage 2.7m / about
9m deep. he divided the top ceiling with a huge curve and created the roof
and the space, with a big hole in the centre where you can see the sky.
it is located in kanagawa, japan.

Thanks Designboom

Paper Cut Parlor by visiondivision

2011-04-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

Paper Cut Parlor by visiondivision Thanks Designboom!

Visiondivision has made a waiting room for a private clinic in Stockholm that specializes in athletic injuries. The clinic has two functions; it consists of a rehab gym and an arthroscopic centre. The clinic is occupying a storey in a larger hospital with a staircase and elevator unit that goes through all the floors in the building. We wanted to separate the clinic from the rest of the rather bland hospital environment when creating the new waiting room, and make a clearly defined space that is fresh and diverse while still being comfortable and relaxed to hang around and work in.

???

2011-04-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

the explanation for this photo robs it of its surrealism

Helsinki!

2011-04-20T17:18:00.001-07:00

NEON INDIAN - HEART: ATTACK from gorillavsbear.net on Vimeo.

The Amazing Georges at the Centre Georges Pompidou by Jakob + Macfarlane

2011-04-20T00:46:00.000-07:00

Jakob + Macfarlane

Georges Restaurant Thanks Designboom!

occupying the sixth floor of the centre georges pompidou is 'georges', a restaurant space designed by french architects jakob + macfarlane that opens up to a spacious outdoor terrace. consisting of multiple, formless volumes, the project introduces a new typology or background presence to the space, resulting in a landscape of both interior and exterior conditions.

Glenn Murcutt: A Singular Architectural Practice

2011-04-17T04:13:00.000-07:00

Glenn Murcutt: A Singluar Architectural Practice, by Haig Beck and Jackie Cooper.
Glenn Murcutt is an anomoly of architecture: a celebrated and internationally well-known architect who eskews style and size in favor of functionalism and the level of control that comes from a "singular practice." His relatively solitary ways, deliberate process, and exceptional buildings earned Murcutt the Pritzker Prize in 2002. This monograph illuminates his working method and ideas about architecture while also dispelling some myths, mainly that he only builds remote, bush houses and only designs with linear plans. The book is broken into three sections: the first contains essays by the authors and the architect and a detailed description of Murcutt's design process, the second presents a selection of built and unbuilt projects (mainly houses), finally the third compiles working drawings of the projects presented. Through the projects we see an evolution from Miesian, flat-roof designs executed when he started his practice in the late 1960s to his more popular angular and curved roof sections done in corrugated metal. Along the way we see how Murcutt's linear plan usually arrives after initial ideas (usually courtyard) don't work, and we see a number of suburban houses Murcutt has completed. The consistent quality amongst all his buildings is their relationship to nature and culture, the way they are derived from natural elements, be they typical (heat/cold, wind, rain) or atypical (insects, wildfires, snakes) and the way the buildings respond to their context and the client's wishes. These responsibilities result in structures that not only tread lightly upon the land but also function in a way that - as Murcutt describes - "great poetic potential arises from the utilitarian."

Review by archidose

A beautiful idea on sustainability.

2011-04-17T04:07:00.000-07:00


Julian King architect

I want. I want. I want. Interaction of Colour by Josef Albers

2011-04-17T03:59:00.000-07:00

Interaction of Color - Josef Albers

Oh I wish...

with all the beautiful silk screen images, my heart skips a beat.

But this one has been already sold

National Art Museum of China, Beijing - OMA

2011-04-15T04:54:00.000-07:00

NATIONAL ART MUSEUM OF CHINA, Beijing

Thanks Dezain

Tuscany Barn House by Julian King Architect (beautiful progression)

2011-04-15T04:46:00.000-07:00

Tuscany Barn House Thanks Dezeen.

julian king architect

Subscribe to 0300tv? Probably not, they're having technical difficulties.

2011-04-15T04:38:00.000-07:00

An interesting type of service. Video architecture.

0300tv

Peter Zumthor works

2011-04-14T03:07:00.000-07:00

Key projects by Peter Zumthor

Thanks Dezeen

and some Zaha Hadid

2011-04-14T01:48:00.000-07:00

Zaha Hadid talking for 2 hours!!! in Milan.

Thanks Abitare

being_zaha_hadid from Abitare Web on Vimeo.

some pink floyd

2011-04-14T01:40:00.000-07:00

Chunky Move and their use of light. (BEAUTIFUL)

2011-04-13T21:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks Hacedor de Trampas

Chunky Move is an Australian dance group. They have worked all over the world and are well known. It was demonstrated that the lighting synchronized with a good computer program can give new insights, for example, apply to a dance. In this case, innovation is the movement of the dancers is collected by sensors that make the light follow their choreography in real time, and the effect it produces is impressive.

Photo sets in Flickr

2011-04-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

If you peruse the Architectural Photo's links, they may have organised sets of photo's on particular buildings or places. Usually they are on the right side of their first flickr page.

Iqbal Aalam's sets are excellent they're ordered into architects! [see right>]

These are Dominic Roberts' set's

Peter Zumthor's Kolumba:

Velve Colour OLED Lighting at Fuori Salone in Milan

2011-04-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

OLED LIGHTING

A new form of lighting, furthered by Verbatim.

A Curmudgeon’s View of the Energy Challenge by Justin Gillis

2011-04-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

A very interesting article over at the NYTimes

A Curmudgeon’s View of the Energy Challenge

Heres a preview:

One of the world’s great minds on issues of energy use, food production and the connection between them is a fellow named Vaclav Smil, of the University of Manitoba. Bill Gates reads him. He is No. 49 on Foreign Policy magazine’s list of the top 100 global thinkers. He is often a curmudgeon, but our editorial colleague Andrew Revkin recently pitted him against the environmental advocate Lester Brown on questions of future food supply, with Dr. Smil playing the optimist that time.
Anybody with a serious interest in the future of the planet could disappear for many days into Dr. Smil’s astonishing list of publications. A book he wrote called “Enriching the Earth: Fritz Haber, Carl Bosch and the Transformation of World Food Production” is enough to change one’s whole view of humanity. It turns out many of us would not even exist but for a chemical breakthrough dating to 1909, one whose consequences have put enormous strain on the ecology of the planet.

Oh oh here comes Cedric Price...!!!! YAY (he inspired Rogers and Piano's Pompidou centre)

2011-04-12T23:29:00.000-07:00

Cedric Price (1934-2003) was one of the most challenging figures in the field of architecture in Britain during the second half of the 20th century.

"I’m only radical because the architectural profession has got lost. Architects are such a dull lot – and they’re so convinced that they matter." [you can see he caused a stir!]

His belief that architecture must “enable people to think the unthinkable”.

Info on Mr. Price

More Info

his Fun Palace is awesome (this is the brochure [click the picture]):

INFO ON FUN PALACE

Alsop Architects - Peckham Library

2011-04-12T23:16:00.000-07:00

this is one of the coolest community libraries evaaaarrrrrr! seriously.

Their crazzaay website. I like the cat with the yellow eyes.

I visited it last year although the pictures are on my HD which is two arm lengths too far.

Want to post something??!!!

2011-04-12T21:43:00.000-07:00

Hi Yallll.... no yes maybe...???

If you want to post something here, and I hope you do, shoot me an email at: ucafirstyear@gmail.com

Let's be a family, like these happy chiropractic patients!

Charles Ranken